Philosophy Vocabulary
EpistemologyThe theory of knowledge with regard to its methods, validity, and scope.
Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.
KnowledgeTrue, justified belief; certain understanding, as opposed to opinion.
Sources of KnowledgeA common concern with respect to knowledge is what sources of information are
capable of giving knowledge.
The following are some of the major sources of knowledge:
1. Perception — that which can be perceived through the experiences of the
senses. The view that experience is the primary source of knowledge is called
empiricism.
2. Reason — Reason can be considered a source of knowledge, either by
deducing truths from existing knowledge, or by learning things a priori,
discovering necessary truths (such as mathematical truths) through pure
reason. The view that reason is the primary source of knowledge is called
rationalism
3. Introspection — knowledge of one’s self that can be found through internal
self-evaluation. This is generally considered to be a sort of perception. (For
example, I know I am hungry or tired.)
4. Memory — Memory is the storage of knowledge that was learned in the past
— whether it be past events or current information.
5. Testimony — Testimony relies on others to acquire knowledge and
communicate it to us. Some deny that testimony can be a source of
knowledge, and insist that beliefs gained through testimony must be verified
in order to be knowledge.
EmpiricismThe doctrine that knowledge derives from experience
RationalismThe doctrine that knowledge is acquired by reason without resort to experience.
A prioriDerived by logic, without observed facts; a priori knowledge is based on reasoning
not experience. Latin for “prior to the thing,” term where something is known
a priori if it can be known independently of experience or without empirical
investigation of the external world.
A posteriori-
Knowledge gained after experience, through reasoning of known facts/
observations Latin for “posterior to the thing,” it is an epistemic term where
something is known a posteriori if it can be known only by experience or by
empirical investigation of the external world.
Epistemic- of or relating to knowledge or to the degree of its validation.
Tautology- Logic a statement that is true by necessity or by virtue of its logical
form. Example: He will get here when he gets here.
AestheticsThe area of philosophy, which covers the concepts of beauty and art.
Contingent: dependent on; conditional
Premise: a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can
be drawn
Inductive reasoning: deriving general principles from particular facts or instances
("Every cat I have ever seen has four legs; cats are four-legged animals").
Deductive Reasoning:
a method of reasoning in which a conclusion follows
necessarily from the stated premises; inference by reasoning from general to
specific. E.g. Socrates is a man, all men are mortal, Socrates is mortal. The conclusion
is contained in the premises.
Ethics or moral philosophy- is the branch of philosophy concerned with human conduct
and its moral value.